Have you ever browsed through your inbox and noticed an email from that one place you shop at grabs your attention with that one deal? You know, that sweet deal that entices you to open that message, click on the attached link and start piling up products into your online shopping cart?
A study featured on Forbes reveals “…old-fashioned email is still far more effective than social media in attracting customers to your business online” (Devaney & Stein, 2013, para. 2). Nowadays many people access their emails through their smartphones, and the surge of mobile devices has increased customer acquisitions through email marketing (Devaney & Stein, 2013). Forbes also claims that social media is a successful tool for an organization to emotionally connect with their audience, but the primary purpose of email marketing is to drive sales (Devaney & Stein, 2013).
Email marketing is an excellent outreach method because it’s “permission-based” (Devaney & Stein, 2013, para. 7), meaning they are sent to people who have subscribed to them at some point. So here are other reasons why this method still works– especially for me, as someone who prefers to shop online instead of in-stores.
- They provide valuable content. Discounts and giveaways are some examples of valuable information that will keep consumers coming back.
- When done right, email marketing can establish business-to-consumer connections by keeping them updated and making the shopping experience fun and convenient.
These emails should not:
- Crowd someone’s inbox (Devaney & Stein, 2013). This could make people delete emails or unsubscribe altogether. It could also damage consumer relationships with the organization.
- Use complicated language. This could disengage their readers.
So next time you receive an email from your favorite store take a look at how they’re asking for your loyalty. Do they seem pushy with their sales? Does the organization offer valuable information? Ask yourself what keeps you interested in their emails, and from there you might find that you are also a shopaholic… like me ;).
Reference
Devaney, T. and Stein, T. (2013, October 1). Why Email Is Still More Effective Than Social Media Marketing. Retrieved on August 1, 2015 from http://www.forbes.com